Dug up roads to be fixed soon - Montague

Transport Minister Robert Montague (left) chats with passenger Denise Reid on the JUTC bus during his ride through Three Miles, Cross Roads and Half-Way Tree in the Corporate Area yesterday.

Motorists are being assured that road surfaces that were disturbed by the National Water Commission (NWC), due to work with its Non-Revenue Water Reduction Programme in Kingston and St Andrew, would be reinstated in short order.

Transport Minister Robert Montague, who gave the assurance, said that the State-owned oil refinery, Petrojam, which produces asphalt used in the construction of roads, has returned to production and is now in a position to remedy the asphalt shortage.

"Petrojam was on a routine maintenance break, so the plant was not producing much (asphalt). They are now back in operation and within a couple of days or a week, adequate supplies will be made available," he said.

Montague was speaking at a press conference at the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre yesterday, following his ride on a Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) bus to gain first-hand experience of the challenges faced by the public, the JUTC and taxi operators, due to ongoing road improvements taking place from Three Miles to Half-Way Tree.

RIDERSHIP EXPERIENCE

Montague also used the opportunity to test the effectiveness of the on-board Wi-Fi service of the JUTC, aimed at improving the passenger ridership experience.

Growth Tech, a technology company conceptualised in 2016, equips the JUTC with the Wi-Fi capabilities.

Meanwhile, Montague said that plans are to be instituted for the roll-out of a monitoring system that will include a closed-circuit television system to increase bus safety, a fare counter, and a people counter.

"The system will be able to monitor the buses, so that we can reduce idling of the units. We have situations where buses are parked for two to three hours idling, which is wasting gas and affecting our bottom line," he said. Managing Director of the JUTC, Paul Abrahams, said that as the 2018/19 school term approaches in September, the company will roll out its full complement of 430 buses.